Shame on the selfish Associated Press. Shame.

Via Politico, AP defies common decency for the Greater Good (hat tip – Blackfive):

Defense Secretary Robert Gates is objecting “in the strongest terms” to an Associated Press decision to transmit a photograph showing a mortally wounded 21-year-old Marine in his final moments of life, calling the decision “appalling” and a breach of “common decency.”

The AP reported that the Marine’s father had asked – in an interview and in a follow-up phone call — that the image, taken by an embedded photographer, not be published.

The AP reported in a story that it decided to make the image public anyway because it “conveys the grimness of war and the sacrifice of young men and women fighting it.”

The photo shows Lance Cpl. Joshua M. Bernard of New Portland, Maine, who was struck by a rocket-propelled grenade in a Taliban ambush Aug. 14 in Helmand province of southern Afghanistan, according to The AP.

Gates wrote to Thomas Curley, AP’s president and chief executive officer. “Out of respect for his family’s wishes, I ask you in the strongest of terms to reconsider your decision. I do not make this request lightly. In one of my first public statements as Secretary of Defense, I stated that the media should not be treated as the enemy, and made it a point to thank journalists for revealing problems that need to be fixed – as was the case with Walter Reed.”

“I cannot imagine the pain and suffering Lance Corporal Bernard’s death has caused his family. Why your organization would purposefully defy the family’s wishes knowing full well that it will lead to yet more anguish is beyond me. Your lack of compassion and common sense in choosing to put this image of their maimed and stricken child on the front page of multiple American newspapers is appalling. The issue here is not law, policy or constitutional right – but judgment and common decency.”

Contact the Associated Press:

Email: info@ap.org
Headquarters

450 W. 33rd St.
New York, NY 10001

Main Number
+1-212-621-1500

Now, HuffPo has decided to pile on:

Huffington Post exploits AP’s dying Marine photo

What’s more shameless than the Associated Press defying the wishes of a dying Marine’s family and splashing his bloody body all over the wires?

Why, the Huffington Post reprinting a massively large version of the image on its front page with an accompanying blog commentary praising the AP photographer’s work as “tasteful” — along with thousands of comments praising the decision and calling for even more bloody US troop photos to be published.

***

And no, I’m not done with the AP yet. Blogger Ztower points out that the AP refused to reprint the Mohammed Cartoons because they were “offensive”
, but has no problem offending a dead Marine’s family for the Greater Journalistic Good of ginning up anti-war sentiment.

Slimeballs.

No wonder the American Legion is pissed, as is Hot Air:

The American Legion has issued a blistering statement about the Associated Press decision to publish a photo of a dying Marine over the objections of the Marine’s family. I received this directly from the Legion earlier this afternoon:

INDIANAPOLIS (September 4, 2009) – “Outrageously irresponsible,” is how the leader of the nation’s largest veterans organization characterized the Associated Press’s decision to release a photo of a dying U.S. Marine taken in Afghanistan.

“The lack of compassion and common decency shown by the Associated Press in releasing this photograph is stunning,” said American Legion National Commander Clarence E. Hill, a retired Navy captain. “Lance Corporal Joshua Bernard is a hero who gave his life for his country. His family is understandably offended. I have asked the American Legion state commander in Maine to reach out to his family. Indeed everybody in The American Legion stands with his family.”

The photo shows Bernard bleeding after being struck by a rocket-propelled grenade in a Taliban ambush Aug. 14. Before the photograph was publicly released, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates asked Thomas Curley, AP’s president and chief executive officer to refrain from transmitting the image. “Out of respect for his family’s wishes, I ask you in the strongest of terms to reconsider your decision. I do not make this request lightly…The issue here is not law, policy or constitutional right – but judgment and common decency.”

“Secretary Gates was right,” Hill added. “The issue is judgment and common decency. There is some information, some actions that occur, that are simply too private, too personal, and too tragic to be intentionally broadcast into the homes of millions. For families with loved ones overseas, the fear of what might happen to them is a near constant companion. This photo not only keeps open the wounds of war for the Bernard family, but it also increases the fear for the families of those who are still facing the reality of sudden death every day.”

Hill called for a review by the Department of Defense of the rules governing embedded media. “This should never have occurred in the first place, nor should it be allowed to occur again,” Hill said. “Ironically, when I visited Camp Delta at Guantanamo, the photographer was prohibited from taking images showing the faces of detained terrorists. Yet, photographers are allowed to shoot photographs of fallen American heroes? Where is the common sense? Where is the common decency?”

With a membership of 2.6-million wartime veterans, The American Legion was founded in 1919 on the four pillars of a strong national security, veterans affairs, Americanism, and patriotic youth programs.

I’m not sure I can put this any better, although I recommend reading Mudville Gazette’s take on the matter. Politico has a comprehensive report about the Pentagon’s outrage, and it should be noted that Politico did not run the picture with the story:

Defense Secretary Robert Gates is objecting “in the strongest terms” to an Associated Press decision to transmit a photograph showing a mortally wounded 21-year-old Marine in his final moments of life, calling the decision “appalling” and a breach of “common decency.”

The AP reported that the Marine’s father had asked – in an interview and in a follow-up phone call — that the image, taken by an embedded photographer, not be published. The AP reported in a story that it decided to make the image public anyway because it “conveys the grimness of war and the sacrifice of young men and women fighting it.” …

Gates wrote to Thomas Curley, AP’s president and chief executive officer. “Out of respect for his family’s wishes, I ask you in the strongest of terms to reconsider your decision. I do not make this request lightly. In one of my first public statements as Secretary of Defense, I stated that the media should not be treated as the enemy, and made it a point to thank journalists for revealing problems that need to be fixed – as was the case with Walter Reed.”

“I cannot imagine the pain and suffering Lance Corporal Bernard’s death has caused his family. Why your organization would purposefully defy the family’s wishes knowing full well that it will lead to yet more anguish is beyond me. Your lack of compassion and common sense in choosing to put this image of their maimed and stricken child on the front page of multiple American newspapers is appalling. The issue here is not law, policy or constitutional right – but judgment and common decency.”

I’m not sure which is more despicable — the decision to run the photo, or their self-serving claptrap afterwards about honoring the service of men and women in the war by exploiting their death. It demonstrates truly warped thinking and values. The AP should apologize immediately and withdraw the image, although that would probably not stop its dissemination now.

Nope.  It is too late.  All efforts to stop this and show the family respect will just cause it to go even more viral.  Liberals don’t care.  What is a family’s pain compared to exposing war?

Sick.

Would they have posted a picture of Ted Kennedy’s dying breaths?  I doubt it…

We are pleased to peel back the curtain and offer you an exclusive preview of our next exciting event. On Thursday June 25th, MAF will host its second annual “Troopathon” titled “Honor Their Service.

Last year, our “From the Frontlines” Troopathon was a huge success! In just 8-hours, our webcast styled “Jerry Lewis” telethon raised over $1.5 million to send over 80 tons of edible treats and other useful items like sun block and lip balm to our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan! In addition, we were fortunate to feature such esteemed guests from the pro-troop community like Rush Limbaugh, Oliver North, Sean Hannity, Laura Ingraham, Ann Coulter and Mark Levin. We even had Michelle Malkin in studio co-hosting the broadcast with our very own Melanie Morgan! But the true stars were our troops—who delivered the real story about the Iraq War’s successes straight from the “Front Lines.”

In 2008 “From the Front Lines” was a breakthrough success thanks to your efforts and help from our friends in the pro-troop community!

This year, as our military shifts its efforts from Iraq to Afghanistan and our victorious troops in Iraq prepare to transfer security detail to the Iraqi Army we continue to stand strong and “Honor Their Service.” “Honor Their Service” will build on the success of “From the Front Lines” and surpass our past achievements!

We are determined to make this year’s event, “Honor Their Service”, even more successful, but we need your help to effectively publicize this special event. The BIGGER the success the MORE we can do for our brave troops serving overseas!

We are asking for your help in spreading the word about this great event. Our organization relies upon non-traditional media and the publicity afforded by blogs to deliver our news and announce our events to the American people. 

We hope to work with you throughout this process and we will keep you posted as we finalize our guest list and the broadcast details. Melanie Morgan, Michelle Malkin and Andrew Breitbart will host this year’s troopathon and we anticipate repeat appearances by some pro-troop media stars as well even a line-up of troop-loving recording artists and A-list actors. Most importantly, our troops will again be featured and honored for their service and dedication to this great nation.

Sincerely,

Erica Anderson

Veterans are pissed…as they should be. Funny thing is that now, after this slight, a lot who were not very disgruntled…are.

And Napolitano’s attempt to appease them is pointless when she has said she stands by the report’s conclusions.

US govt faces veteran anger at extremism report

The US Homeland Security Department, under fire for saying US forces returning from the Iraq and Afghan wars were potential right-wing extremist recruits, said Wednesday it honors US veterans.

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano sought to douse anger among conservatives and veterans groups like the American Legion over a report from her department warning of a rising threat of right-wing extremism.

“We are on the lookout for criminal and terrorist activity but we do not — nor will we ever — monitor ideology or political beliefs,” Napolitano said in a statement amid charges that the department had done just that.

Which, in fact, they have.

American Legion chief David Rehbein on Tuesday blasted the report as “incomplete, and, I fear, politically-biased” and took special aim at its warning that returning veterans having difficulties reintegrating society could be recruited by right-wing groups for possible terrorist attacks.

In a letter to Napolitano, Rehbein underlined the document’s mention of Oklahoma City bombing author Timothy McVeigh’s US Army background and called it “as unfair as using Osama bin Laden as the sole example of Islam.”

“The American Legion is well aware and horrified at the pain inflicted during the Oklahoma City bombing, but Timothy McVeigh was only one of more than 42 million veterans who have worn this nation’s uniform during wartime,” said Rehbein, who group comprises some 2.6 million members.

Napolitano said she accepted Rehbein’s request for a meeting and stressed: “I will tell him face-to-face that we honor veterans at DHS and employ thousands across the department, up to and including the deputy secretary.”

Uh, what about the rest who don’t dance to your tune? Who don’t have to answer to you for their jobs?

The report said that fears of possible new restrictions on firearms, as well as troubled veterans returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, “could lead to the potential emergence of terrorist groups or lone wolf extremists capable of carrying out violent attacks.”

Rehbein said the accusation, levelled in an April 7 document designed for local law enforcement officials, was “without any statistical evidence.”

And that is just scratching the surface of why it is bad.

The Liberal distrust and hatred of the military is legendary, as this once again shows.

Though to be fair, a few Democrats are standing up and being outraged at this.

But the top House Democrat with oversight of the Department of Homeland Security said in a letter to Ms. Napolitano that he was “dumbfounded” that such a report would be issued.

“This report appears to raise significant issues involving the privacy and civil liberties of many Americans - including war veterans,” said Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, in his letter sent Tuesday night.

It’s a start. Obama has distanced himself…I am waiting for his condemnation. But considering that he has said essentially the same thing:

“Our challenge is to get people persuaded that we can make progress when there’s not evidence of that in their daily lives,” he said. “You go into these small towns in Pennsylvania and, like a lot of small towns in the Midwest, the jobs have been gone now for 25 years and nothing’s replaced them. And they fell through the Clinton administration, and the Bush administration, and each successive administration has said that somehow these communities are going to regenerate and they have not.

“And it’s not surprising then they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren’t like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations.”

I won’t hold my breath…

Trackposted to Blog @ MoreWhat.com, Political Byline, third world county, The World According to Carl, The Pink Flamingo, CORSARI D’ITALIA, Stageleft, and Right Voices, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.

 And that means for service related injuries too.

Yep…liberals sure do know how to support the troops…

Senators slam plan for wounded vets to use private insurance

Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki confirmed Tuesday that the Obama administration is considering a controversial plan to make veterans pay for treatment of service-related injuries with private insurance.

But the proposal would be “dead on arrival” if it’s sent to Congress, Sen. Patty Murray, D-Washington, said.

Murray used that blunt terminology when she told Shinseki that the idea would not be acceptable and would be rejected if formally proposed. Her remarks came during a hearing before the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs about the 2010 budget.

No official proposal to create such a program has been announced publicly, but veterans groups wrote a pre-emptive letter last week to President Obama voicing their opposition to the idea after hearing the plan was under consideration.

The groups also cited an increase in “third-party collections” estimated in the 2010 budget proposal — something they said could be achieved only if the Veterans Administration started billing for service-related injuries.

Asked about the proposal, Shinseki said it was under “consideration.”

“A final decision hasn’t been made yet,” he said.

Currently, veterans’ private insurance is charged only when they receive health care from the VA for medical issues that are not related to service injuries, like getting the flu.

Charging for service-related injuries would violate “a sacred trust,” Veterans of Foreign Wars spokesman Joe Davis said. Davis said the move would risk private health care for veterans and their families by potentially maxing out benefits paying for costly war injury treatments.

A second senator, North Carolina Republican Richard Burr, said he agreed that the idea should not go forward.

“I think you will give that up” as a revenue stream if it is included in this April’s budget, Burr said.

Murray said she’d already discussed her concerns with the secretary the previous week.

“I believe that veterans with service-connected injuries have already paid by putting their lives on the line,” Murray said in her remarks. “I don’t think we should nickel and dime them for their care.”

Eleven of the most prominent veterans organizations have been lobbying Congress to oppose the idea. In the letter sent last week to the president, the groups warned that the idea “is wholly unacceptable and a total abrogation of our government’s moral and legal responsibility to the men and women who have sacrificed so much.”

The groups included The American Legion, Disabled American Veterans, Military Order of the Purple Heart, Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States, and Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America.

At the time, a White House spokesman would neither confirm nor deny the option was being considered.

Bad idea…really bad.

Her personal wishes capture perfectly what I have been feeling this year also:

I was going to write a big fancy message tonight for Christmas, but I think that video says it best.

Wherever you are tonight, say thanks for your blessings, whether they be big or small. This year I have felt particularly blessed, and have wondered why God would choose to bless me in the way he has, as I don’t always feel like I’m always the best Christian I can be. But a wise man recently told me that God knows a believer’s heart, and rewards that person with blessings, in part, based on whether or not that person’s heart is in the right place - blessings of love and/or prosperity (and not just of the money kind). And sometimes those blessings aren’t obvious ones, but they are there all the same.

So if you’re in the same boat as I am - feeling blessed but wondering why you are being blessed, it’s comforting to know that God thinks you have a good heart; that in itself is a blessing that money can’t buy and that no one can take away and that is worth more than anything sitting under the Christmas tree.

God bless you all.

Like her, I have reflected a lot on how blessed I am in many ways. next years is promising to be one of extreme challenge for me, for reasons I am not ready to discuss here, but suffice to say that I am expecting a lot of change and turmoil. But despite that, I know that I am extremely fortunate for the blessings of friends, family and opportunity.

During all of the media hyped economic turmoil I still have a job I like that pays my bills and provides me decent benefits. My family despite some recent losses remains stronger than ever, and the recent losses have caused many of us to feel the mutual need to reconnect. My health despite some recent hiccups remains good, with weight loss my most significant challenge.

And I have some of the greatest friends on the planet.

How much more blessed can a person be?

I hope all who read this find their true blessings in life, whether that be a hobby, family, religion or just the enjoyment of life in its grandness.

Merry Christmas, and God Bless us, every one.

You can help make a soldier feel remembered this Christmas. Browse over to www.LetsSayThanks.com.

You pick out a card that a child drew, you pick out the greeting that will be on it and you add your name, Xerox will print your card and mail it to a soldier that is currently serving in Iraq. (They are mostly thank you cards but there are a couple holiday cards).

I have a personal reason for recommending this. A close friend is serving in his second tour in Iraq. During his first tour, he received one of these. Here is what his wife told me about it:

Tristan got one of these cards last time he was deployed and he was really appreciative for it… adds at least one positive spin to being away from your family for the holidays!

This is an attempt to appeal to the better nature of everyone, regardless of your political affiliation.

I know many people who hate Bush, hate the war and hate all things associated to it, but I hope they have the sense to understand that the troops, the boots on the ground, the average enlisted person serving, is doing so out of love of country and a desire to serve, and regardless of anything else, they deserve our appreciation and our thanks.

So this Christmas take five minutes out of your life and say thank you to some people who really deserve it.

LSU

OK, I admit that I am no fan of Obama, but that is a matter of policy and ideology.

Now I have cause to dislike him personally, and I may official upgrade him to scumbag.

Via Hot Air:

Amir Taheri accuses Barack Obama of interfering in the attempt to negotiate a status-of-forces agreement with Iraq while making his trip to Baghdad in July. In his New York Post column Taheri quotes the Iraqi Foreign Minister, on the record, telling him that Obama tried to convince the Iraqis to end the negotiations and instead ask the UN for another one-year extension to the current mandate. That would have left US troops in current position for another year, but more importantly, would have provided the US a diplomatic setback that Obama could have exploited on the campaign trail:

WHILE campaigning in public for a speedy withdrawal of US troops from Iraq, Sen. Barack Obama has tried in private to persuade Iraqi leaders to delay an agreement on a draw-down of the American military presence.

According to Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari, Obama made his demand for delay a key theme of his discussions with Iraqi leaders in Baghdad in July.

“He asked why we were not prepared to delay an agreement until after the US elections and the formation of a new administration in Washington,” Zebari said in an interview.

Obama insisted that Congress should be involved in negotiations on the status of US troops - and that it was in the interests of both sides not to have an agreement negotiated by the Bush administration in its “state of weakness and political confusion.”

Hypocrisy isn’t the issue here; it’s the interference of Obama in military and diplomatic affairs. Just on diplomacy, interfering with the United States in its diplomatic efforts is a Logan Act violation. Interfering with war policy treads on even more serious ground, especially since the primary motivation appears to be winning an election without regard to whether it damages our ability to fight the enemy or drives wedges between us and our ally, the elected, representative government in Baghdad.

I disagree. Hypocrisy is an issue, it is just not the only one. Obama has been pandering to the nutroots all this time about wanting to bring the troops home and end the war, and here he is trying to extend it.

Classic.

But even more disturbing is what this says about the man who would be CIC, and what he thinks about the military he may command.

His disdain and disregard for their lives implied by this horrible act of counter diplomacy is disgusting.

And the fun part, his campaign confirmed it:

Glenn Reynolds takes a close look at Barack Obama’s response to Amir Taheri and doesn’t see any daylight between them. Yesterday, Taheri accused Obama of attempting to derail a status-of-forces agreement between the US and Iraq by telling the Iraqis to wait until after the American elections and stop negotiating with the Bush administration. Obama responded by essentially confirming Taheri’s account:

In the New York Post, conservative Iranian-born columnist Amir Taheri quoted Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari as saying the Democrat made the demand when he visited Baghdad in July, while publicly demanding an early withdrawal.

“He asked why we were not prepared to delay an agreement until after the US elections and the formation of a new administration in Washington,” Zebari said in an interview, according to Taheri. “However, as an Iraqi, I prefer to have a security agreement that regulates the activities of foreign troops, rather than keeping the matter open,” Zebari reportedly said. ….

Obama’s national security spokeswoman Wendy Morigi said Taheri’s article bore “as much resemblance to the truth as a McCain campaign commercial.”.

In fact, Obama had told the Iraqis that they should not rush through a “Strategic Framework Agreement” governing the future of US forces until after President George W. Bush leaves office, she said..

Which is exactly what Taheri wrote. Barack Obama went to Iraq and interfered with the diplomatic efforts of the elected United States government, in a war zone no less, by telling the Iraqis to stop negotiating with the President. How exactly does that make Taheri’s column untruthful?.

It wasn’t enough for Obama to fail at forcing the nation into a defeat in Iraq when he opposed the surge. Now he has interfered with our efforts to stabilize Iraq and provide for its security after the surge succeeded in keeping Iraq from falling into a failed state. And when he got caught working for failure and defeat, he tried making it into a smear against John McCain..

That’s not leadership America needs from a Senator, let alone a President. The Senate should investigate this as a gross violation of the Constitution and the separation of powers between the branches of government.

Obama has effectively just committed a violation of the Logan Act, and has also violated the Constitutional provisions for separation of powers, something someone who is hailed as a constitutional scholar should know.

And in doing so, he could have put the troops lives on the line for his own selfish ambition.

Obama claims to represent the culture of change.

All I see is yet another disgusting politician who hates the Military and wants power at any cost.

Trackposted to Blog @ MoreWhat.com, Mark My Words, Rosemary’s Thoughts, Right Truth, Shadowscope, DragonLady’s World, Phastidio.net, Cao’s Blog, NN&V, Democrat=Socialist, Conservative Cat, Diary of the Mad Pigeon, , Political Byline, third world county, Woman Honor Thyself, The World According to Carl, Walls of the City, Pirate’s Cove, The Pink Flamingo, , Wolf Pangloss, WingLeSS, CORSARI D’ITALIA, Stageleft, and Right Voices, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.

Domestic attack

A short time ago we responded to threats to our soldiers with a mass rally at the Tacoma recruiting station. SDS led this attempt to interfere with the rights of our soldiers to do their jobs. We stopped them! On Friday they attacked the recruiting station with rocks in a clear and deliberate (yet fruitless) attack of sedition.

I found this report at the Tacoma SDS website that clearly states that they work with the attacker.

This was done in solidarity with the Northwest’s current resistance to port militarization.

They also threaten more attacks.

For the forces of order who attempt to strike fear into the hearts of our comrades down at the port–we have a message for you:

Get out of Cascadia, or face imminent retaliation.

We will strike again.

And when I looked for photos on Seattle’s Indymedia site I found more support for the terrorist.

Thugs!  And proud of it!

The question is on the lips of many.  Some  decry our failings and insist they are endemic, and show the decline of our Country’s greatness. 

They point to our prosperity as evidence of our selfishness. 

They point at our innovation and insist that we are lazy and weak.

They insist that in their lives we have never done anything worthy of pride.

Some point to the White House and our president, and decry his failings and decide the America has suffered under his leadership.  They accuse him of crimes and demand his oust.

They demonstrate against our Military, and defame them.  They falsely accuse them of crimes and atrocities.

They protest in the streets against the war we fight, against our foreign policy, against our leaders, against our culture and against religion.

The take the symbols of our country and deface them in protest.

They write articles and blogs and columns pointing our in glorious prose and detail the sins of our country, past present ad future.

So I ask myself:  In the face of so much hatred, disappointment and vile rhetoric, is America Still Great?

You bet your ass it is.  The proof is in the protest to start with.

We are virtually unique in the world where so much protest and anti government sentiment can be openly displayed, and not just tolerated, but downright celebrated.

Our Constitution, which continues to thrive despite the naysayers best arguments, protects those who speak against America the loudest.

For every person who speaks about how America has declined in greatness, their very words continue to prove we are still great.  All the Journalists that write diatribes against America do so because America values the freedom of dissent.

For those who protest our Military, and slander them, the fact they can do such acts is a testimony to how well our Military has preserved those freedoms.

America is not just a nation, a collection of laws and people, it is also the debate on what constitutes greatness, and it is coil and churn of those ideas.

America is not the boundaries of our states, it is the limitless, boundless world of our ideas and our beliefs.

There are many reasons to love America and to be assured of her greatness.  The free market; the free elections; the limitless opportunity for success and prosperity; the myriad cultures and faiths; the determination to be free in the face of all adversity:  all of these speak to the greatness of America.

But sometimes I think that the ability to argue about that greatness is our greatest strength. 

You see, I am not afraid of debate.  I am not afraid of those who take my dearest ideals and trample them in their own ideals.  Iron sharpens iron.  The strength of our ideals is seen when they are tested.   So I am not afraid to defend my ideals.

In fact, I enjoy it.  I am passionate about America. 

So:  Is America Great?

As long as men are free to argue the point it must be.

Take your time today and consider and reflect, then Celebrate! Celebrate! Celebrate!

Whether you like it or not, we still live in the greatest country in the world.

Here are a few of my favorite quotes:

I love America more than any other country in this world; and, exactly for this reason, I insist on the right to criticize her perpetually.  ~James Baldwin  

America is a passionate idea or it is nothing.  America is a human brotherhood or it is chaos.  ~Max Lerner, Actions and Passions, 1949  

America is a nation with many flaws, but hopes so vast that only the cowardly would refuse to acknowledge them.  ~James Michener  

When an American says that he loves his country, he means not only that he loves the New England hills, the prairies glistening in the sun, the wide and rising plains, the great mountains, and the sea.  He means that he loves an inner air, an inner light in which freedom lives and in which a man can draw the breath of self-respect.  ~Adlai Stevenson  

This, then, is the state of the union:  free and restless, growing and full of hope.  So it was in the beginning.  So it shall always be, while God is willing, and we are strong enough to keep the faith.  ~Lyndon B. Johnson